The Aperture He Made For Her
by CodyNaomiSwire
Summary: Sad Chelley - An alternate version of how Wheatley reacts to the overwhelming power of the mainframe. Will he make the right choice, even if it means making a huge personal sacrifice?


Chell could hardly believe it! After all this time, after all this fighting, they were finally getting out! She anxiously waited as Wheatley called up the lift that would take them to the outside world. As it rose up from the floor below, she suddenly heard Wheatley exclaim, "Wait, I've just thought of something! How am I gonna get in!? Y'know, being all bloody massive and everythin'?"

Chell looked from Wheatley to the lift, and from the lift back to Wheatley. He had a point. Now that he had been plugged into the GLaDOS chassis, he was about twenty times his usual size. Chell had been so concerned about doing whatever it took to put GLaDOS out of commission, and so much had happened so fast in the few minutes before the core transfer, that she hadn't quite gotten round to thinking this far ahead.

"Wait, I know!" he exclaimed after a moment. "You get into the lift, ok? Then I'll eject myself out of my new body, into lift, just as you pass by me. Brilliant! It's perfect!"

Chell took a few steps closer to the lift. She had never been so close to freedom, and yet she had also never had this kind of foreboding feeling before, like this was all too easy. Something was amiss.

"Except for all the glass hitting us when I smash through the lift. That's a bit of a problem." Chell looked back towards him again, the foreboding feeling growing stronger by the second.

"Also," he continued, "Once I eject myself out of the core, the lift might stop. Then we'd trapped, in a lift, full of broken glass, suspended fifty feet off the ground…"

Chell blinked a couple times at Wheatley. He had another good point, a very crucial one in fact. What if the lift did stop? Or rather, what if it couldn't go up without a Central Core to control it? There was no way GLaDOS was going to let them go, and especially now that they had painfully ripped her out of her chassis, it was hardly likely that she would change her tune anytime soon even if they did try to put her back in to do it.

Chell looked at the GLaDOS core, lying forlornly next to the escape lift, and then back at the chassis where Wheatley's core was now in place. What if he couldn't eject himself out of the chassis even if he wanted to? What if he was stuck there now?

What if…What if he couldn't come with her?

************

Being plugged into the massive chassis was turning out to be the best things that had ever happened to Wheatley, and also one of the worst. Wheatley had never felt so good in his artificial life – all the power of Aperture Science now being in his (metaphorical) hands, and fresh jabs of euphoria trickling through the circuits and processes of the mainframe and into him every few milliseconds. It was absolutely fantastic!

And Chell standing there, looking both alert and yet almost happy as he demonstrated his newfound power by effortlessly calling the escape lift. That was perhaps the best thing of all! He, tiny little Wheatley, was going to finally do something spectacular! He was going to save the day and finally get them out! He noticed her expression faltered though as he stated how she seemed "very tiny and insignificant" now that he was so big and important.

Perhaps being plugged into the chassis also quickened his thinking, if only a little, as the thought suddenly struck him. "Wait!" he said aloud, "I've just thought of something! How am I gonna get in!? Y'know, being all bloody massive and everythin'?"

He saw Chell pause in response to this, and look from him to the lift, and then back to him, concern coming into her eyes. Another idea came to mind. "Wait, I know! You get into the lift, ok? Then I'll eject myself out of my new body, into lift, just as you pass by me. Brilliant! It's perfect!"

Chell took a few hesitant steps closer to the lift.

"Except for all the glass hitting us when I smash through the lift. That's a bit of a problem," he said aloud again as he thoughts carried on ahead. "Also, once I eject myself out of the core, the lift might stop. Then we'd trapped, in a lift, full of broken glass, suspended fifty feet off the ground…"

Now the thoughts came quick as lightning, and Wheatley realized with a painful, aching jolt in his artificial gut, that as it was now...

**He couldn't escape with her!**

After all these years of careful planning and longing and waiting and praying for his chance to get out, here he was, stuck in the chassis, the new Central Core of Aperture Science. He had never been so free in his life, and also never so trapped.

_"__This is so unfair!"_ a voice screamed in his head. _"__We were supposed to escape together! Well, I'm not about to let her go off without me. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have gotten this far anyway. In fact, you know what? She owes me for all that doesn't she? Yeah, she totally owes me for breaking her out of cryosleep and hacking doors for her and everything. And why does she have to leave right now anyway? It would only be fair now if she just solved a few tests for me. Y'know, for perhaps the next few decades or so. Shouldn't be a problem for her right? She's the best test subject here in the facility. Er, ok, more like the ONLY test subject in the facility, but she could handle it all surely. After all, she is the most amazing, smart, talented, brilliant, kind, - no, no NOT kind! She's a selfish little…human…who…who…needs to do testing- NO! No no! She's my best friend!"_

"Aaaahh! Chell!"

************

Chell was now sure there was something horribly wrong, on top of their current situation. Wheatley just hung there from the chassis, staring off into the middle distance, as if lost in thought about something. On any other occasion Chell would have thought he was just spacing out, thinking about some nonsense. But in the current situation, that was hardly likely.

She then nearly stumbled back as he suddenly gave out a cry of distress.

"Aaaahh! Chell!"

He gave a few static-filled deep breaths as his chassis drooped close to the floor. He looked scared, his optic shrinking to a finer pinpoint. Chell didn't know what to do. What was wrong with him? She had seen him get frightened many times before as they were trying to escape, but not like this. Slowly and quietly, she strode towards Wheatley's core, his optic remained glued to the floor below him. He didn't seem to notice her approaching. Very carefully, trying not to startle him, she set down her portal gun and gently put a hand on each side of Wheatley's sphere. He flinched a little bit, but he didn't jump in panic or recoil. Slowly he lifted his optic to see her concerned eyes looking back into it, and her face a few inches away. He blinked at her, his shell still shaking with terror.

Not knowing what else she could do, Chell wrapped her arms around the little sphere, resting her cheek to the side of his optical ring. She could feel him freeze up in response, the chassis coming as close as she had ever seen them to a complete standstill. After a moment or two though, he closed his optic and gently nudged her in return.

They stood like that for a few moments, until she felt him move slightly in her arms. "Thank you luv," he said quietly. "For-for everything. Really. You've been absolutely brilliant. And I'm…I'm sorry."

As Chell's expression became one of confusion at his random apology, a mechanical arm suddenly rose up out of the floor beneath her, and clamped itself tightly around her waist! Caught completely off guard, Chell began to desperately kick and punch at the claw that held her, but she knew it was no use. Her portal gun was lying too far away for her to reach, not that it would have done much good in the current situation anyway.

She looked back at Wheatley, her face one of fear but also fury. How could he be doing this to her? After all they had been through? What was he-

Her expression changed as quickly as it came as she realized she was steadily moving away from him. She then realized what he was doing.

_"__No…"_ she thought in anguish, and began struggling to get free again, _"__No no no no Wheatley! Don't do this!"_

************

It hurt Wheatley to see Chell like this, but he knew it was what he had to do. She really was a good friend, his best friend. The hug she just gave him had been the first hug he had ever gotten in his life.

It was also to be his last.

Wheatley wanted nothing more than to get her to stay. Not to solve tests, but to be here with him as his friend. Wheatley wasn't quite sure how or why, but he found that…well, he rather liked Chell quite a bit more than whatever it was that the chassis were giving him. In fact, Chell rated well beyond that on the scale of likability as far as he was concerned. In fact, he liked her so much, that against his better judgment – or rather, his better programming – he most of all wanted whatever was best for her.

Even if it meant being left behind.

As Wheatley placed Chell inside the escape lift, he swiftly closed it back up as he pulled the metal claw back out. Chell immediately got up off the floor of the lift and began slamming her fists against the glass and kicking at it as hard as she could.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Stop that luv!" Wheatley said, trying to sound as normal as possible, but his sadness was getting unbearable now. "Didn't I just say a minute ago that broken glass in a lift was definitely a problem? I-I wouldn't want you to-to hurt yourself after…well, after everything you've been through. Just-just sit back and let little Wheatley take care…of…Hey, you ok in there?"

*************

Chell stood there, her fists and feet sore from all the kicking and punching. The glass of the elevators was too strong for her to break through. She ended up collapsing on her knees, her hands and forehead pressed up against the glass, and her shoulders began to quiver in a way she hadn't felt for a long time.

"Hey, you ok in there?" she heard him asked worriedly. Chell slowly lifted up her face, to find that Wheatley's image was distorted through the tears that had welled up in her eyes, and had begun streaming down her cheeks. She could tell that Wheatley had no idea how to respond to the state she was in, and Chell felt just as helpless. _"__Please Wheatley,"_ she wanted to say. _"__You don't have to do this! We'll figure something out! We can leave together, just as we planned!"_

But all that Chell managed to get out through the sobs was, "Wh…W-Wheatley…"

*************

If Wheatley had a heart, it would have shattered to pieces upon hearing her utter his name like that. No one had ever called him by name all that often, let alone have someone – particularly Chell, who had barely uttered any sort of sound let alone words – call out his name with such tenderness like that. It hurt worse than what he felt when going through the core transfer, but he also felt more wonderful than any mainframe in the world.

Although speaking of mainframes…He felt the one he was plugged into now start to hammer into his consciousness again, not at all happy with being fought against. Whatever the scientists had programmed it to do, it was not at all happy with not being able to accomplish it. Wheatley knew he could only fight against it for so long. He was running out of time.

It was now or never.

Taking far more willpower than it did before, Wheatley began to make the escape lift rise up towards the ceiling of the central chamber. Feeling it move, Chell cried out his name again, and again, and again, each time sending another jab of grief and sad happiness into Wheatley. But he could take it, if it meant she could have her freedom.

"Goodbye Chell," was all that Wheatley managed to say, as a lump seemed to form in his vocal processor, and he watched as Chell ascended towards freedom through the aperture he made for her in the chamber's ceiling.


End file.
